The living room is exactly what it sounds like, the room you live in. It is usually one of the places guests and family will flock to first. A living room can also be considered a multi purpose room. You can do anything from relax and watch TV in a living room to play games and have dinner. The possibilities when designing your living room are almost endless. The one thing you want your living room to be is inviting and comfortable.

Always remember one thing when designing your living room; the living room will form a face for the rest of your home. Your own passion is the most important thing when designing your living room or any other room. You want it to represent your style and who you are or it will feel forced.

Form vs. Function - Functionality should definitely be first priority when designing your living room, and always consider the space you will be working with. It could be a good idea to choose a nice soothing wall color because the space itself will have so much action and traffic you do not want the feeling to be too busy or chaotic. You can always add pops of brighter color to inspire flare.

Sofas, curtains, and area rugs will probably be the main design points that set the mood for the room. When choosing a sofa you want to again keep in mind practicality. For example, if you have small children and pets you would not want to choose a sofa upholstered in Italian silk. If you have pets you want to choose a material that is easy to clean and wipe off the pet hair, and if you have small children you will want to choose a fabric that will be easy to clean and will be stain-resistant.

Curtains & Drapes - Drapery and curtains are definitely a place you can have some fun. The best thing about curtains and drapes are the many inexpensive choices of beautiful and durable fabrics to choose from to accommodate the function of your room. If you get sick of the ones you choose in a few years, you can replace without hurting your budget. If you have a bigger space to work with a good idea is to use floor length drapery - this can add a dramatic rich feel to your room.

When designing your room, keep in mind that your living room serves as an initial thought on the rest of your home, so choose wisely, but still have fun.